The Valeyard Judges The Power of Three

One moment I was working on attempting to repair the chameleon circuit of my TARDIS and the next I’m sat in front of my television set.

I just seem to have jumped. How strange.

Still, I’m sure that nothing important could have happened in between. The only thing now that is untoward is the fact that Lord Stormageddon has not yet supplied me with my customary snacks for the upcoming debacle.

Only just as I notice this they appear on the table. Which in itself is not unusual, Alfred is quite adept at anticipating my every whim, except there was most definitely another ‘jump’ just there. Curiouser and curiouser.

Still, these things tend to happen when you’ve spent as much time as I have in the time vortex.

I’ve been quite looking forward to this particular episode; the previews on Kasterborous seem to indicate that Rory’s father will once again be appearing. I’ve grown rather fond of him. I do hope he doesn’t exit the show next week along with his offspring. I would be most disturbed.

However just as the episode begins the horizontal hold fails on my set and I’m just about to stand up and retune it in the age old fashion of thumping it on the side when I encounter yet another jump. I’m sat comfortably in my seat and Lord Stormageddon seems to have converted Derek into a wide screen television. I wouldn’t mind so much, but I seem to have drunk half of my hot chocolate during the jump. I must check for white hole activity after I’ve finished reviewing this particular episode.

Sadly the jumps continue throughout the episode making it seem patchy and disjointed. There are some simply wonderful character moments, but nothing to connect them together and the ending seems to have been cut away entirely. In fact I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ve just seen a two part affair in the space of a single episode.

Brian continues to be magnificent, he alone seems to realise the danger that I put our companions through on a regular basis and he manages to force a statement from my younger self regarding his list of fatalities. He actually seems upset; he’s obviously forgotten that one of them was Adric. Strange given that he encountered an ark just a few episodes back that left earth in order to escape the yellow clothed annoyance.

It was rather pleasant to see Kate Lethbridge-Stewart move into this particular time line, she does the old soldier justice with her newly created role. Now that’s a companion I could get used to.

The glaring anomaly for me, aside from the white hole activity, was the Ponds’ renewed commitment to travelling with the Doctor. Haven’t they seen the previews? Don’t they know what’s coming?

The time of the Ponds has very nearly drawn to a close and I for one can’t wait until next week to see the end of the ginger whinger.